Why Are We Still Playing War?

December 1, 2013 [Blue or Purple] First Sunday of Advent (Year A) Psalm 122 (UMH 845) Romans 13:11-14

Isaiah 2:1-5 St John “Why are We Still Playing War”

As we gather this first Sunday of Advent, the Isaiah 2 passage is a great reminder that the God we serve is a God of peace. It is a great reminder that we are supposed to be people of peace and joy.

For the last two thousand years the human race has been making tremendous progress in everything from plumbing to human rights, and this progress has been picking up speed exponentially during the last half century. There is no reason to think that it's going to slow down, because nothing in our world is going to do anything but continue to speed up. I have been following some of the talks about war in the news, how some country are in the process of destroying their chemical weapons and other countries are promising to stop building nuclear weapons on and off again.

In find my self while hearing the voice of the prophet Isaiah and also hearing our Nobel Peace prize winning president understanding of War.

In his Nobel Peace speech, President Obama May have misspoken when he said that we would never see peace in our lifetimes. He doesn't know that and saying it set us back, simply because in this age of growing awareness, every word on the international stage sends ripples of powerful energy through our global family.

I agree with him that we must be “clear eyed” about the state of the world today. There are few “peace maker” more intense than I am, but I also clearly see that the human race is still evolving toward being a peaceful people.

We still have those who are barbaric and primitive, who use religion and God as a war cry and justification for slaughtering innocent people. We still have those in position of power that would rather spend money on guns and war then for social security and health care. These who would rather throw tea in the water then give it to dying babbles? Most of the world's 6.5 billion people are, by far, good, caring folks who just want to live a comfortable and secure life. But, the one tenth of one percent who are either ignorant, weak minded, or evil are the ones who are giving us all the trouble and conflict. They are small in number but dangerous and not to be dismissed. In this age of nuclear garbage and Internet proliferation.

There are some things about war we must all come to understand.

1) God is always on the side of what is right because it is God who made up the rules about what is right and what is wrong.

He explains what is right in the Bible. God doesn’t change his mind about what is right and wrong. So, even though it sometimes looks like God chooses sides, it is really people who choose whether or not they will be on God’s side. If someone little is being hurt or beat up by someone bigger, God is on the side of protecting the little person who can’t defend himself. God wants people to be free, so when someone is taking away another person’s freedom, God is on the side of protecting freedom. Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

Abraham Lincoln . You need to understand that God sometimes holds back simply because you are not right. Country singer Garth Brooks, had a hit song in which he recalls his impassioned prayers for God to melt the heart of a high school sweetheart—later it became apparent to him that she was a terrible choice for a mate. Sometimes God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

Why can’t we see that? Well, if you’re like me it’s because we want what we want. We think we know what we need and what’s best for our lives, what side God is on. But do we—really?

2) War is and has always been Biblical? The Bible is a book about real people and their countries. Since God is telling us about these people, he tells us a lot of things about them, including the wars they fought. As long as there have been people, there have been misunderstandings, disagreements, fights and wars. The Bible was written so we could see how God is involved in the lives of people in all sorts of situations, including wars. Because we can see all sides of people, their good sides as well as their bad sides, it helps us learn right from wrong. It also helps us to know if we should fight in a war and when a war is right.